Apparatus for trimming and splicing wires

ABSTRACT

A crimping tool carries out both trimming and splicing operations in a single stroke so that the wires are trimmed between the ends of a connector; the wires do not sag and the trimmed wire ends lie within the connector. The tool has a pair of wire-trimming blades mounted for rotation on either side of the path of a movable die, which blades cooperate with trimming edges extending along such path. Each wire is oriented so as to be within the path of movement of one trimming blade and outside the path of movement of the other.

United States Patent 13573525 [72] Inventors Colin David KindellReferences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,965,957 l2/l960 Packard Bushey;

Terence Robert Raynor, London, England [211 App]. No. 776,199 [22] FiledNov. 15,1968 3,436,820 4/1969 Reem et [45] Patented Apr. 6, 1971 PrimaryExaminer-Thomas l-l. Eager AttorneysCurtis, Morris and Safford, MarshallM.

Holcombe, William l-lintze, William J. Keating, Fredrick W. Raring, JohnR. Hopkins, Adrian J. La Rue and Jay L. Seitchik Great BritainContinuation-in-part of application Ser. No.

772,987, Nov. 4, 1968, now Patent No.

ABSTRACT: A crimping tool carries out both trimming and splicingoperations in a single stroke so that the wires are trimmed between theends of a connector; the wires do not sag [54] APPARATUS FOR TRIMMINGAND SPLICING and the trimmed wire ends lie within the connector. Thetool M w en men nml mm Mum AHN u w M m s m o M n H B has a pair ofwire-trimming blades mounted for rotation on either side of the path ofa movable die, which blades cooperate with trimming edges extendingalong such path. Each wire is oriented so as to be within the path ofmovement of one trimming blade and outside the path of movement of theother.

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APPARATUS FOR TRIMMING AND srucnvc wmns CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATEDAPPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part application ofSer. No. 772,987 filed Nov. 4, 1968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,707.

In the telephone industry, it is frequently necessary to connect theends of telephone cables each of which may comprise several hundredwires. The individual wires of the cable ends must not only be splicedin such a way that after the splicing operation, the spliced wires donot sag, but it must also be ensured that bare wire ends do not projectfrom the spliced connections, since although the maximum normal voltage(the ringing voltage) that the cables" must carry does not usually muchexceed 60 volts, this voltage may at times surge to 1,000 or more volts.

Apparatus according to the invention, for trimming and splicing wires,comprises a first connector-crimping die movable through a workingstroke towards a second connectorcrimping die to crimp an essentiallyU-section electrical connector disposed between the dies to a pair ofwires within the connector, a pair of wire-trimming edges extendinglengthwise of and beside the path of movement of the first die, and awiretrimming blade associated with each wire-trimming edge and beingrotatable relative to the edge to trim' one of the wires in cooperationwith the edge and between the ends of the connector, prior to theconnector being engaged between the dies.

Since the apparatus carries out both trimming and splicing operations ina single stroke and since the wires are trimmed between the ends of theconnector, an object of the invention is that the apparatus is capableof rapid operation to splice a pair of wires so that they do not sag andso that the trimmed wire ends lie within the connector.

Another object of the invention is that the connector may be supportedprior to the working stroke, adjacent the first die, for example, by theblades or by a strip of connectors of which the connector may form apart; otherwise the connector may be supported on the second die priorto the working stroke.

An additional object of the invention is that the apparatus may comprisea pair of wire-gripping members each positioned to support one of thewires so that its end portion intersects the path of movement of one ofthe blades but lies beyond the scope of the other blade. Eachwire-gripping member may have a wire-receiving slot extendingtransversely of the path of movement of the first die, the slots beingof different depths and each being disposed beyond the scope of theadjacent blade.

A further object of the invention is that the wire-trimming edges may beformed on a wire-trimming block disposed between the blades, the bladesbeing rotatable about a common axis, or about the axes displaced fromone another transversely of thepath of movement of the first die. Theblades may be driven in rotation by projections on the first die,against the action of return springs.

Still a further object of the invention is that the wiretrimming bladesmay extend at right angles to the .path of movement of the first dieprior to its working stroke and preferably have wire-gatheringprojections extending in the direction of the path in this position ofthe blades.

A still additional object of the invention is that when the connector isinitially supported adjacent the first die and forms part of a strip ofconnectors, the connector may be sheared from the strip by a shear blademounted adjacent the path of movement of the first die and against whichthe strip of connectors id is driven by the first die to shear theconnector from the strip during the working stroke in cooperation withan edge of the first die.

Still another object of the invention is that the strip of connectorsmay be advanced to position 'the leading connector of the strip adjacentthe first die by a feed finger which engages in a first hole in thestrip of connectors prior to the working stroke of the first die, thestrip being moved towards the second die by the first die during itsworking stroke to disengage the feed finger from the hole. In this case,the feed finger is retracted during the working stroke of the first dieso as to engage in a second hole in the strip upstream of the first holeand is advanced when the return stroke has been completed to advance theleading connector. The advance of the leading connector may convenientlybe limited to by a stop plate on the opposite side of the first die tothe feed finger. The feed finger may be carried by an arm rotatablymounted on a frame, the arm being moved away from the first die by aprojection thereon against the action of a return spring during theworking stroke of the first die. The strip of connectors may be guidedby a guide tube having a hole through which the first die can pass withclearance, the guide tube having an open side to allow the strip ofconnectors to be moved towards the second die by the first die.

Still a further object of the invention is that the first die may bedriven by an electric motor which is preferably an alternating-currentinduction motor where the apparatus is to be employed for splicing wiresin a manhole or other site where explosive gases may accumulate.

' Other objects and attainments of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of theinvention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is notintended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given forpurposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art mayfully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the mannerof applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in variousforms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

For a better understanding of the invention, referencewill now be madeby way of example to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of apparatus fortrimming and splicing wires;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic front elevational view of part of theapparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic side view of the part of theapparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of an electrical crimpingferrule;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of an electrical connector for use withthe apparatus and comprising the ferrule of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of part of a strip ofelectrical connectors comprising connectors according to FIG. 5;.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of part of the strip ofconnectors; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged part cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG.5 crimped to wires between dies of the apparatus.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. I to 3. The apparatus comprises ahousing 1 (only part of which is shown) containing an electricmotor-(not shown), preferably an alternatingcurrent induction motor,coupled to a ram 2 through a oneshot device (not shown) to drive the ram2 through a working and a return stroke upon actuation of a switch (notshown). A first crimping die 3 is movable with the ram 2 for cooperationwith a second crimping die 4 having a constant cross section crimpingrecess 5 for receiving the lower (as seen in FIGS. 1 to 3) end of thedie 3. The recess 5 comprises a pair of arcuateforming surfaces 6cooperating to define a central cusp 7. The die 4 is fixedly mounted ina frame 8 formed integrally with the housing 1.

The die 3 is formed with a channel 10 receiving a rib 12 on the frame 8so that the die 3 is guided for axial movement towards and away from thedie! under the action of the ram 2. The die 3 has a cam surface 14(FIG. 1) for cooperation with a corresponding camsurface 16 on aconnector feedarm 18 mounted on the frame 8 to swing about a pin 20 andbeing biased by a return spring 22 in an anticlockwise (as seen inFIG. 1) sense of rotation about the pin 20. A pair of buffer pins 21extend from the lower (as seen in FIG. 2) surface of the die 3, whichsurface is flat. A feed finger 24, the tip of which is chamfered at 25(FIG. 2) extends from the arm 18.

A connector strip shear plate 26 fixed to the left-hand (as seen inFIG. 1) side of the frame 8 by screws 28 (only one of which is shown)has integrally formed therewith a rectangular shear blade 30 projectingtowards the die 3.

A first wire-trimming blade 32 is mounted on the left-hand (as seen inFIG. 1) side of the frame 8, between the plate 26 and the frame 8, forrotation about a pin 34 extending through the frame 8 and upon which isalso rotatably mounted a second wire-trimming blade 36 disposed on theopposite side of the frame 8 to the blade 32. Each blade 32 and 36 has awire-gathering projection 38. A wire-trimming block 40, fixed to theframe 8, extends between the blades 32 and 36 which are biased by returnsprings 42 (only one of which is shown) in an anticlockwise (as seen inFIG. 3) sense of rotation about the pin 34. The block 40 haswire-trimming edges 39 and 41 extending lengthwise of and beside thepath of movement of the die 3, and lying between the ends of the die 4.

A connector strip stop plate 44 is fixed to the frame 8 on theright-hand (as seen in FIG. 1) side of the blade 36. A connector stripguide tube 46, formed for example from sheet metal and only part ofwhich is shown, has a flange 48 engaging the right-hand (as seen inFIG. 1) side of the stop plate 44, the tube 46 having a recess 50through which the die 3 can pass with clearance. The tube 46, which isbottomless at least over the length shown, has in its upper wall, a slot51 receiving the feed finger 24. The position of the tube 46 isindicated in broken lines in FIG. 2.

Resilient wire guide blocks 52 and 54, made for example of rubber or asoft plastic material, are fixed to the frame 8 by screws (not shown) oneither side of the die 4. The blocks 52 and 54 have transversewire-guiding slots 56 and 58 respectively, the slot 56 being deeper thanthe slot 58. The slots 56 and 58 terminate in wire-locating holes 60 and61 respectively. The holes 60 and 61 lie substantially beyond the pathof movement of the blades 32 and 36 respectively. As showndiagrammatically in FIG. 3, the holes 60 and 61 are spaced from oneanother laterally but are spaced from the die 4 by approximately thesame distance.

A strip of electrical connectors for use with the wire-splicingapparatus will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. Anessentially U-shaped metal-crimping ferrule 62, for example of brass,comprises a base 64 having struck therefrom two upstanding tongues 66.Each tongue 66 has a pair of spaced notches 68 opening into its upper(as seen in FIGS. 4 and edge which has inclined surfaces 70 and 72forming wire-guiding mouths, the notches 68 defining a central wireguide 71. The sidewalls of the ferrule 62 have bent-in ribs 74 andstruck-out tongues 76, the free ends 78 of which overlap the ribs 74. Asshown in FIG. 5, the outer surface of the ferrule 62 is covered by a aninsulating film 80 which may in the interests of economy be ofvulcanized paper. The film 80 has portions 82 which overlap the freelongitudinal edges 84 of the ferrule 62 and extend within the ferrule 62and between the tongues 76 and ribs 74. The tongues 76 have been benttowards the ribs 74 so that the free longitudinal marginal parts 86 ofthe film 80 are gripped between the tongues 76 and ribs 74. The film 80is thus retained tightly wrapped about the ferrule 62 to form aninsulated electrical splice connector 87. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, aseries of the connectors just described are joined together in end toend axially aligned relationship by slugs 88 of the film 80 (which hasslots 92 between the individual ferrules 62) to form a strip 89 of connectors. Each slug 88 has a central hole 90 to receive the feed finger24.

The strip 89, which will normally comprise several hundred of theconnectors 87, is wound about a rotary spool (not shown) which may forexample be mounted on the frame 8.

The free end of the strip 89 is led into the guide tube 46 with I thebases of the connectors directed upwardly so that the leading connector87A of the strip 89 passes under the die 3 and engages the stop plate 44(FIG. 2), the feed finger 24 engaging, through the slot 51, in the hole90 between the connector 878 next adjacent the leading connector 87A,and the connector 87C next adjacent the connector 87B. A spring-loadedpressure pad (not shown) acts upon the strip 89 to urge the bases of theconnectors 87 against the tube 46.

The end portion XE of a first wire X of a pair of wires X and Y to bespliced is positioned to extend beneath the blade 32 within the path ofmovement thereof, the wire X being inserted through the slot 58 of theguide block 54 and thence into the hole 61 thereof to hold the wire X inposition. The other wire Y of Y of the pair is positioned with its endportion YE beneath the blade 36 and within the path of movement of theblade 36 being inserted through the slot 56 into the hole 60 of theguide block 52.

The switch is now actuated to cause the ram 2 to drive the die 3 throughits working stroke. As the die 3 descends, the die 3 engages the leadingconnector 87A so that the leading connector and the adjacent part of thestrip 89 are moved by the die 3 towards the die 4, against the action ofthe pressure pad so that the slug 88 between the connectors 87A and 87Bof the strip is sheared between the blade 30 and the adjacent edge ofthe die 3, and so that the feed finger 24 is withdrawn from the hole 90.The buffer pins 21 on the die 3 drive the blades 32 and 36 in clockwise(as seen in FIG. 1) rotation in front of the leading connector 87A sothat the projections 38 of the blades 32 and 36 gather the wire endportions XE and YE so that the blades 32 and 36 sever them from thewires X and Y in cooperation with the adjacent edges 39 and 41 of theblock 40. The wires X and Y are thus trimmed within the length of theleading connector 87A. As the die 3 continues its working stroke, theleading connector 87A is moved down over the trimmed ends of the wires Xand Y so that the trimmed ends engage the surfaces 70 and 72 of thetongues 66 within the ferrule 62 of the connector 87A, the connector 87Abeing driven by the die 3 into the crimping recess 5 so that thesidewalls of the ferrule 64 of the connector 87A are curled over by theforming surfaces 6 of the die 4. Since in practice less than an inch ofthe end portion of each wire will project beyond its guide block afterthe wires have been trimmed, the end portion of the wire will not droop.By virtue of the lateral spacing between the holes 60 and 61 each wireis aligned by the wire guides 71 with the two notches 68 on one side ofthe connector 87A, so that each tongue 76 drives one of the wires intotwo of the notches 68 to produce a electrical contact between theelectrically conductive core of the wire and the walls of the notches68, as shown in FIG. 8. Also as shown in FIG. 8, the marginal parts 86of the film 80, which remain gripped between the tongues 76 and ribs 74are carried down over the notches 68 and continue to hold the filmfirmly about the ferrule 64, portions 94 of the film engaging oneanother centrally of the ferrule 64 of the connector 87A and throughoutits length.

Also during the working stroke of the die 3, the surface 14 of the die 3engages the surface 16 of the arm 18 to rotate the arm 18 in a clockwise(as seen in FIG. 1) sense against the action of the spring 22, the feedfinger 24 having been withdrawn from the hole between the connectors 87Aand 87 B. As the ram 2 is moved through its return stroke, the die 3 isretracted so that the connector 87A crimped to the wires X and Y can beremoved from the die 4, the blades 32 and 36 are returned to theposition of FIGS. 1 to 3 by the springs 42, and the surface 14 isdisengaged from the surface 16 so that the arm 18 is returned to theposition of FIGS. 1 to 3 by the spring 22 and the feed finger 24 engagesin the hole 90 between the connector 87C and the next adjacent connectorin the upstream direction. When the die 3 has finished its returnstroke, the strip 89 is advanced under the action of the spring 22 so asto drive the connector 878 beneath the die 3 which is now clear of theconnector 87B andagainst the stop plate 64 in tion into the die 4, sothat the connector 87A does not fall under its own weight, or the die 3may incorporate a guide (not shown) for the leading connector. Thisguide may comprise a guide plate (not shown) extending axially from thedie 3 towards the die 4 and being retractable into the die 3 on engagingthe die 4, against the action of a spring (not shown). The guide platemay'also be spring biased towards the leading connector 87A so as tourge it against the block 40. The apparatus may otherwise, however, beoriented in use to avoid the connector 87A falling, e.g.,' the apparatusmay be disposed horizontally, or at a slight angle with respect to thehorizontal, or with the die 4 uppermost.

To ensure that each of the wires X and Y is correctly located in adifferent pair of the notches 68 of the leading connector at eachcrimping operation, the leading wire guide 71 a of each connector 87 maybe made somewhat higher than the trailing wire guide 71 so that the wireX is pushed towards the reader (as seen in FIG. 2) at an early stage sothat the wire X cannot lodge against the far (as seen in FIG. 2) side ofthe trailing wire guide 71.

The guide blocks 52 and 54 may be made of a rigid instead of a softmaterial. In this case, however, the blocks 52 and 54 should be movableaway from the die 3 against the action of springs to reduce the strainon the wires X andY during the final part of the crimping operation.

The electric motor could, for example be replaced by a fluid-operatedpiston-and-cylinder unit for example a hydraulic piston-and-cylinderunit for example a hydraulic pistonand-cylinder unit or the ram 2 couldbe operated through a linkage by means of a rotatable handle or handles.

According to a modification of the apparatus, the rotary wire-trimmingblades are rotatable about axes which are displaced from one anothertransversely of the path of movement of the die 3 (the wire-trimmingedges also being preferably displaced in the same direction as'theblades in accordance with the displacement of the axes), so that eachwire can be positioned within the scope of one of the blades without thewires being crossed as described with reference to FIG. 2.

According to another modification of the apparatus, the die 3 isprovided with forming surfaces similar to the die 4, the die 4 having aflat surface similar to that of the die 3. In this case, the strip ofconnectors is fed to the lower or fixed die instead of the upper ormovable die so that the base of the leading connector of the strip isslid onto the fiat surface of the fixed die. The forming surfaces ofthem the movable die serve to gather in the trimmed ends of the wires toposition them within the leading connector on the fixed die. The shearplate 26 and shear blade 30 are replaced by a shear plate fixed to themovable die to shear the slug 88 from between the leading connector andthe next adjacent connector of the strip in cooperation with theadjacent end surface of the fixed die, the arm 18 and feed finger 24being replaced for example by a conventional feed finger arranged toengage the tongues 66 of the connectors and being driven for example bythe ram 2 or by separate means for example a pneumatic motor.

The apparatus may be designed either as a hand tool or as a bench orrack mounted machine.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and otherdesirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasizedthat the particular embodiment of the invention, which is shown anddescribed herein, is intended as merely illustrative and not asrestrictive of the invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for trimming and splicing wires, the apparatus comprising afirst connector-crimping die movable through a working stroke towards asecond connector-crimping die to crimp an essentially U-sectionelectrical connector disposed between the dies to a pair of wires withinthe connector, a pair of wire-trimming edges extending lengthwise of andbeside the path of movement of the first die, and a wire-trimming bladeassociated with each wire-trimming edge and being rotatable relative tothe edge to trim one of the wires in cooperation with the edge andbetween the ends of the connector, prior to the connector being engagedbetween the dies.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises a pairofwire-gripping members each positioned to support one of the wires sothat its end portion intersects the path of movement of one of theblades but lies beyond the path of movement of the other blade.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which each wiregripping member hasa wire-receiving slot extending transversely of the path of movement ofthe first die, the slots being of different depths and each beingdisposed beyond the path of movement of the adjacent blades.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the wiretrimming edges areprovided on a wire-trimming block disposed between the blades, theblades being rotatable about a common axis, or about axes displaced fromone another transversely of the path of movement of the first die, theblades being driven in rotation by projections on the first die, againstthe action of return springs.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the wiretrimming bladesextend at right angles to the path of movement of the first die prior toits working stroke, said wiretrimming having wire-gathering projectionsextending in the direction of this path when the blades extend at rightangles to the path of movement of the first die.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the connector forms part ofa strip of connectors arranged in end-to-end strip form, the connectorbeing arranged to be sheared from the strip by a shear blade mountedadjacent the path of movement ofthe first die and against which thestrip of connectors is arranged to be driven by the first die to shearthe connector from the strip during the working stroke in cooperationwith an edge of the first die.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which the strip of connectors isarranged to be advanced to position the leading connector of the stripadjacent the first die by a feed finger which engages in a first hole inthe strip of connectors prior to the working stroke of the first die,the strip being moved towards the second die by the first die during itsworking stroke to disengage the feed finger from the hole, the feedfinger being retracted during the working stroke of the first die so asto engage in a second hole in the strip upstream of the first hole andbeing advanced when the return stroke of the first die has beencompleted, to advance the leading connector.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the advance of the leadingconnector is limited by a stop plate on the opposite side of the firstdie to the feed finger.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the feed finger is carriedby an arm rotatably mounted on a frame of the apparatus, the arm beingmoved away from the first die by a projection thereon against the actionof a return spring during the working stroke of the first die.

10. Apparatus according to claim 6 in which the strip of connectors isguided by a guide tube having a hole through the which the first die canpass with clearance, the guide tube having an open side to allow thestrip of connectors to be moved towards the second die by the first die.

1. Apparatus for trimming and splicing wires, the apparatus comprising afirst connector-crimping die movable through a working stroke towards asecond connector-crimping die to crimp an essentially U-sectionelectrical connector disposed between the dies to a pair of wires withinthe connector, a pair of wiretrimming edges extending lengthwise of andbeside the path of movement of the first die, and a wire-trimming bladeassociated with each wire-trimming edge and being rotatable relative tothe edge to trim one of the wires in cooperation with the edge andbetween the ends of the connector, prior to the connector being engagedbetween the dies.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises apair of wire-gripping members each positioned to support one of thewires so that its end portion intersects the path of movement of one ofthe blades but lies beyond the path of movement of the other blade. 3.Apparatus according to claim 2, in which each wire-gripping member has awire-receiving slot extending transversely of the path of movement ofthe first die, the slots being of different depths and each beingdisposed beyond the path of movement of the adjacent blades. 4.Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the wire-trimming edges areprovided on a wire-trimming block disposed between the blades, theblades being rotatable about a common axis, or about axes displaced fromone another transversely of the path of movement of the first die, theblades being driven in rotation by projections on the first die, againstthe action of return springs.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, inwhich the wire-trimming blades extend at right angles to the path ofmovement of the first die prior to its working stroke, saidwire-trimming having wire-gathering projections extending in thedirection of this path when the blades extend at right angles to thepath of movement of the first die.
 6. Apparatus according to Claim 1, inwhich the connector forms part of a strip of connectors arranged inend-to-end strip form, the connector being arranged to be sheared fromthe strip by a shear blade mounted adjacent the path of movement of thefirst die and against which the strip of connectors is arranged to bedriven by the first die to shear the connector from the strip during theworking stroke in cooperation with an edge of the first die. 7.Apparatus according to claim 6, in which the strip of connectors isarranged to be advanced to position the leading connector of the stripadjacent the first die by a feed finger which engages in a first hole inthe strip of connectors prior to the working stroke of the first die,the strip being moved towards the second die by the first die during itsworking stroke to disengage the feed finger from the hole, the feedfinger being retracted during the working stroke of the first die so asto engage in a second hole in the strip upstream of the first hole andbeing advanced when the return stroke of the first die has beencompleted, to advance the leading connector.
 8. Apparatus according toclaim 7, in which the advance of the leading connector is limited by astop plate on the opposite side of the first die to the feed finger. 9.Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the feed finger is carried byan arm rotatably mounted on a frame of the apparatus, the arm beingmoved away from the first die by a projection thereon against the actionof a return spring during the working stroke of the first die. 10.Apparatus according to claim 6 in which the strip of connectors isguided by a guide tube having a hole through the which the first die canpass with clearance, the guide tube having an open side to allow thestrip of connectors to be moved towards the second die by the first die.